NHS waiting lists drop despite services running hot into winter

Responding to the latest NHS performance statistics, Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said:

“It is clear from this data that the NHS is running incredibly hot into what could be a very difficult winter, with strikes and an early flu season piling further pressure on already stretched staff and services. A&Es have reported record attendances from June to October, while ambulances have been managing high volumes of call outs and record numbers of incidents for October. 

“Despite this significant demand for care, the NHS has managed to make good inroads into waiting lists for the first time since June. This is heartening and a real testament to the hard work of dedicated staff up and down the country working night and day to keep patients safe and provide the best care possible. But there is a long way to go.

“Health leaders have been doing all they can to try to mitigate the disruption of the upcoming  resident doctors strikes and will be aiming to deliver the target of maintaining 95% of planned care. But there is no doubt that the walk outs will cause massive disruption to NHS services. We are urging the BMA to stop these strikes and accept that resident doctors have already received a significant pay increase.”